Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-07-02
4 PEASANT TRAGEDY.


Ire ft'in- or a lea; made a perceptible sound, or
st Ie,st the gentle severance OF II from its hold
upon the bough did. The birds were perfectly
stu "a they often are late In the afternoons OF
autumn, and a solemn qu1etude. which was yet
not peace reigned over the world OF nature. The
rays OF the low sun came stealing through the
Dropping branches. and lighted up the trunks Of
The pine trees with ruddy glare.
\ woman who was gathering twigs into her
apron. came out OF the gloom of the wood and
stool Tor while IN one OF the open spaces-a
space where there was pool, formed by the
da.l.niIIg back OF small runner She looked
down at the water which had caught the evening
glow upon IS stagnant surface; and up al the
liZat upon the trees. Then she cast her eyes upon
the bundle OF sticks she was carrying as though
determined 70 avoid some unpleasant yet fascinat-
Ing sight suddenly she gave cry OF horror and
disgust, and let her apron drop, and the sticks
wllca were In it fall TO the ground Directly after
she laughed out, and the laugh was not a pleasant
one TO hear. Lifting one OF the twfgs she EXAM
Incl IL cur1ousy. IL had growing upon it one OF
those brilliantly colored fungi which are so fire.
qiently seen in damp parts OF Plantations and
probably under some special kind OF trees. This
one Was tinted with vivid crimson and had
exactly the appearance of a great clot Of blood.
After she saw what IL really was, the woman
raised her head, and looked straight before her at
the dun red water and the dull red sunset.
It's no manner OF use" she mutteYed In a tone
where like! Am l going mad or Is It that the
dtvifs nj work, holding 1t before me forever, to
Get me used 10 the sight OF it?"
She was grani-OOking woman OF five or six
anu twenty, with sort OF statueSque beauty OF
I'M as,a contour; but she appeared thin and III
houiShed, her complexion had the pallor OF semi
starvation, and her brown eyes had that wOolfsh
care 10 them that one sees In a Gagged and under
IN WIZ creature she gathered her sticks to-
gether again and walked steadily on to the out
skirts OF the wood, where the cottage IN which
she lived was situated.
Her husband was overrnan at the colliery whose
tan chimney and skeleton framework and pulleys
iage. on the outskirts of the long, struggling vii
Ing 70 his position.
II- WOMAN litcd the latch and entered, when
She AT once gave exclamation Of pleased sur
she said she fastened TO the f1reside and threw
DOWN EcT burden OF twigs, which were to be
most OF tie pitmen's wives, whose fires never
nerd Endling, because fuel was free, and there
fJre they were never allowed to die out Mrs. Eel
ton required wood well as Goals. She was OF
SOuth-cOuntry origin, and never learnt the knacE
OF mapping up and beating DOWN. so as TO keep
a fire sInouiderins from night TO morning, as the
rest d:d. The young fellow who was sitting by the
fire gave her no greeting save unintelligible
InIflngr; but he scanned her earnestly from head
u foot, ana his eyes rested longest upon big
purple ErIise which showed on the palor OF her
temple, Just where the ripping waves OF her dark
Ted hair eaoed.
Slowly flush crept over his own face and his
fst elenched Itself 1nvoluntarily. He Jerked out
tnen turned away with sigh.
The woman took a low stool from the opposite
corner, and sat down close beside him, first dis
placing and driving away with no gentle hand
couple or sleek greyhOundS- These animals re-
treated growing, and sought refuge under the
big four-post beistead which stood against the
furthrSt wall.
.'Be OF, you brutes.- she said angrily. "You
wont get everything you want when he out of
the way. hate ths very sight OF them BILL with
their glossy skins and their snaky heads and their
hOt.les that swallow decent folks uianerS, and
never look IA DIT the better for
.ie,re tired judith. lass. or ye wouldn't be so
cross" reInarked her companion, quietly. lie
drawI, but the accent OF The wOInan wiUn ne
called Judith was remarkably pure. She had, in
Tact, been ladyS maid 10 squire Riddles young
wife, and had been little more than two years In
the North when she fell in love with the splendid
every warning she received as to his dissolute
habits and brutal temper. There was an element
In I the Geautii1l womans nature to which Dieks
Tor short While after marriage she was perfectly
satisfied with what the village folks called her
pad bargain" But before long she awoke to the
fact that she had given herself body and soul.
into the power OF creature with the ltcentious-
tyrant who wanted no wife no companion but
merely slave whom he could torture and III use
at Will
For year and a half she had borne worse usage
than, perhaps. ever fell 10 young wire's lot be-
fore: and her master and tyrant faneied that her
spirit was 5u0dued and her Will conquered, and
BATTERED himself that she was now we'll broken in
But sulen, silent rebellion wasswork1ng and fer
no knowing how soon IL might break forth
The one gleam OF comfort in her melancholy lot
was the quietly persistent kindness and sympathy
shown 10 by Bill Felton, the half-brother OF her
husband This bOy-whO was a couple of wears
her Junior, and who because OF his delicate health
and steady, StudiouS habits was looked upon as
little better than an idiot by big Judiths
sole eonf1dano and friend The women OF the
place summed her as an alien, and declined TO pity
her. because she never even goSS1ped or complained
but held herself proudly aioof and suffered In ST.
Ience. She understood the difference between pity
ami curiosity, and preferred TO eat her heart out
N solitude To becoming an object for their con-
temptuOuS comment.
u VII. Ball IL was different. He was one of
the family, and there Was no need to wear the
mask before him. Bill knew perfectly well what
brute Dick was, AMI pitied any woman who had
given herself Into sucn vile keeping. The lad be-
gan by being intensely sorry for her loneliness
ana her misery, and trying 70 patch up peace be-
tween the Hl-matcned couple; and when this at
tempt tailed he did his best soften her hard lot
by giving out TO her unfailing Kindness and SYM
patny. Many time he had gone without his dinner
That ne might provide one for Judith He brought
any OF his books which he fancied might interest
her. AMI read them aloud during the long hours OF
her waiting while Dick was drinking himself stu
pld or malicious, or gambling away hts fortnights
pay. And more than once the presence OF the
younger man mad saved the woman from Violence
Oh her husbands return Sometimes both these
watchers aud walters felt too sad and hopeless to
talk and at such periods they would sit q whole
evening without word passing between them;
but the very consciousness OF each others pres
Ing, aud kept Judlt d al least from becoming des-
perate- But on this Particular night something
l4LPciiSO 10 give VOlCe 10 Qef pe0t-up
emotions.
Tired" she said, in response to his speech
Am ever anything else but tired I wonder.
Tired OF life, since II can never bring me release
never anything better than tnis tired OF thoughts
That always lead 10 one end-an end dare not
Lace yet; tired OF everything but" Here she
h1sitated little.
But whaL?'
Everything but you, BILL dear.r
There was Infinite tenderness In these few
words, or, rather, III the tone In which they were
uttered. Bill glanced up quickly, an eager pleas
Ore III MS face, and then mis- mead sank upon his
Aauds again, ana he made no answer.
re could not quite understand his feeling tow ard
Judith he nrS one OF pity was gone, and some
thing lie could not or would not anaIyZe lived in
Ito place he mad long since ceased TO think OF
her a. i poo Creature whom he must do his best
Tor. y restiessnesS possessed him now which rem
dered hlil unhappy save when near 10 her. though,
alas! her presence brought With IL no peace
"How long Will De able 10 stand iI?" she went
on, nall 10 herself, looking into the fire as she
spoke. ''SometlInes fancy such torture must XIII
soon, unless IT Is fated that Is 10 be the frst
10 Ole! Now, don't pretend 10 be shocked Blll
You KNOW well enough hate him suffcieAtly 10
help him 10 IL, so far As the will goes even II mad
10 follow directly"
..Wny did you wed him?" asked Bill suddenly
Judith gave a short, bitter laugh.
Because i was a fool, ana deserved nv fate,
Because he was bil, ana strong and masUerful and
4ket To feel he could do what he chose With me
Because, oh, how can make you understand bow?
You, who nave never felt that sort OF thing, You
who could never realize, with your slow calm
blood, ana your quiet nature how love SeiZes upon
such a woman as AIN, and how II carries one out
OF ones sell, ones common sense, ones reason
ones hingi Ii Is life, 1t is bliss
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